7 Tips for Making Your Thanksgiving Meal Healthier

The supermarket cases are filled with cream cheese, sour cream, butter, and creamy soups. Many of these ingredients go into family recipes that are high in saturated fat, sodium and sugar.

11/19/2018
Homemade Thanksgiving Turkey on a Plate with Stuffing and Potatoes

Here are tips for making a delicious – and healthier – Thanksgiving meal.

1. Tame your turkey – It’s a lean protein source, but avoid “self-basting” birds, which often have added butter or oil.


2. Switch up your stuffing
– Use whole-wheat bread instead of white. Season with vegetables and broth instead of meat and butter.


3. Go green
– Skip creamy soup casserole. Try steaming green beans and seasoning them with lemon zest.


4. Lose the potato peeler
– Potato skins provide fiber and potassium (and bonus, less prep time!).


5. Boast your roast
– Roasting vegetables brings out their natural sweetness. Toss with a little olive oil and garlic and pop into the oven.


6. Pucker up
– Cut the sugar in your cranberry sauce recipe by at least half.


7. Go for color in your menu
– The fall harvest includes many colorful “superfoods” that are packed with nutrients. Think sweet potatoes, brussel sprouts, pumpkin, apples and squash. Yum!

 

So, begin planning your celebrations with a search for healthy holiday foods, like these from the Mayo Clinic and Honey Colony